1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to control of an object's orientation. More specifically, the invention is a method and system for controlling orientation of an object in motion.
2. Description of the Related Art
Objects in motion typically can be described in terms of their translational motion and rotational motion. In simple terms, translational motion refers to an object's motion along its velocity vector while rotational motion places the object in an orientation relative to its velocity vector. Objects experiencing this type of motion range from non-powered objects (e.g., bullets) to powered objects (e.g., vehicles such as aircraft, spacecraft, underwater vehicles, etc.). Sometimes an object's orientation must be changed independently of the object's translational motion. Traditionally, orientation is changed by a thrust producing device mounted on the object. The thrust producing device is either throttled and/or gimbaled in position such that the produced thrust causes a desired amount of rotational motion.
Other known devices used to control rotational motion are control movement gyro assemblies and/or reaction wheels. More recently, in the field of space travel, multiple solar sails have been devised to generate propulsive thrust and/or re-orient the spacecraft. However, most of these devices either require fuel, are heavy, or are realized by relatively complex mechanisms and/or control systems.